The Cringiest Beauty Pageant Moments Ever

Pageants have been strongly opposed, as some believe competitors are wrongfully judged on looks alone. Has pageantry evolved? Perhaps the Miss USA and Miss Universe events seek more than the most beautiful woman in the room. The Miss USA website asks, "Had a love-affair with flashing lights for as long as you've known yourself? Or maybe you're energized by philanthropy and advocacy?"  It seems that confidence, charitable work, and awareness of global issues are important attributes for contestants who win the crown.

The question-and-answer portion of a pageant is a great way to see the thoughtful side of some contestants. Women have given thought-provoking answers, shared their dreams and aspirations, and spoken against inequality. Take Miss Universe 2019, Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa, who was asked: "What is the most important thing we should teach young girls today?" Her answer was simple yet powerful: "I think the most important thing we should be teaching young girls today is leadership. It's something that has been lacking in young girls and women for a very long time, not because we don't want to, but because of what society had labeled women to be."

Of course, not every pageant contestant has a brilliant answer like Tunzi had. Fans have watched several women stumble during their Q&As, becoming viral sensations for their scatterbrained answers. It's hard to watch, but there have been even more scandalous and cringey moments in pageant history, including a drug scandal and a seemingly harmless selfie that made headlines. 

While competing for the coveted crown of Miss USA, 51 women from across the nation (including the District of Columbia), should know a thing or two about the state they represent. However, in 2014, Miss Nevada turned heads when she did not know the capital of her home state. 

Nia Sanchez represented Nevada in the 2014 Miss USA pageant, and the pageant queen made some appearances during her reign, of course. Sanchez was on "The Todd Show" when she was asked to name the capital of Nevada. She could not answer without the host helping her out. He informed her that Carson City was the correct answer, and she awkwardly replied, "Thank you. I was gonna say that, I was like, that one DJ host on MTV, back in the day, his name, that's how I always remembered it. ... Carson Daly, that guy." 

A source told FOX News that Sanchez had unsuccessfully competed to become Miss California and "never actually moved to Nevada ... setting up some minimum paper trail" so that it looked like she was from the Sagebrush State. The Miss USA winner clarified to FOX 411 that she had indeed been a resident of the state for "almost a year and a half," which met the residency requirements for entering the Miss Nevada pageant, stating, "I did it right. I waited over a year to compete when I felt like I was ready." She also expressed her "love" for living in Nevada.  

In 2007, Miss Teen USA contestant Caitlin Upton became a viral sensation when she struggled to answer a geography question during the pageant. While many saw this as an embarrassing meltdown, Upton shared that the cyberbullying got so bad, she had thoughts of suicide. 

Let's rewind to that day when Upton was center stage in front of thousands and was asked why Americans couldn't find the U.S. on a map. Her answer was a tangled mess. "I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps," she stated, while also mentioning South Africa and "the Iraq." Upton instantly became a target for bullying and later told Intelligencer, "One group of girls took me to this party at the University of South Carolina, and I walk in, and the entire USC baseball team surrounded me and bashed me with the harshest, meanest comments I had ever heard." Upton confessed that she contemplated taking her own life, sharing, "I definitely went through a period where I was very, very depressed."

Mario Lopez, who hosted the Miss Teen USA pageant that year, defended Upton after her mishap. He told People, "It was a very intense moment. It's live TV. You don't know what the question is until you get up there. And I believe that she misunderstood it." Since then, Upton was on "The Amazing Race" and has made several other television appearances.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

Before Vanessa Williams became a stand-out actor in shows like "Ugly Betty" or belted out hits like "Save the Best for Last," she wanted to become Miss America. The star competed in the 1983 pageant and won the crown, becoming the first Black woman to do so. However, when her year as Miss America was almost up, then 21-year-old Williams was forced to forfeit her title and the coveted crown because Penthouse magazine had decided to publish nude photos of her (per The New York Times). 

According to CNN, 32 years after the scandal, the Miss America organization apologized to Williams during the 2016 Miss America pageant, where the actor was a judge. CEO Sam Haskell and Williams were up on stage when he said, "Though none of us currently in the organization were involved then, on behalf of today's organization, I want to apologize to you and to your mother, Miss Helen Williams. I want to apologize for anything that was said or done that made you feel any less than the Miss America you are and the Miss America you always will be."

The Miss America scandal did not affect Williams' career one bit. She told Page Six in 2021 that although it might have shined a negative light on the beauty queen back then, it didn't stop her from pursuing her dreams. "I think I was really centered in knowing I know who I am and I'll get there, and once the dust settles, you'll see." 

At the 2016 Miss Teen USA pageant, Texas native Karlie Hay took home the crown, but in a matter of hours, ABC News reported that several disturbing tweets resurfaced from Hay's past which showed the winner using the N-word, curse words, and threatening language.

Surprisingly, Hay did not have to give up her crown, but she did apologize during an interview with "Good Morning America," stating, "I am very sorry. It's embarrassing. It's something I'm ashamed of, and I've grown up from that 15-year-old girl who used that type of language." She also said, "At that age, I was being a follower. I was trying to fit in with my friends. The word was thrown around in the music I listened to, with the friends I hung out with, and I had no guidance, so it was kind of a careless mistake."  

Miss Teen USA's parent company, the Miss Universe Organization, defended Hay, stating that "she sincerely apologizes" and "learned many lessons through those personal struggles." However, one former Miss Teen USA titleholder wasn't having it. 2010 winner Kamie Crawford told "Good Morning America" that Hay did not deserve her crown: "If the decision was in my hands, absolutely, she would have to be dethroned, not necessarily because of what she said, but the avenue in which she decided to say it," Crawford said.

During the 2013 Miss USA pageant, contestant Marissa Powell, who represented the state of Utah, stumbled on a question about pay equality in the United States that made the audience and viewers cringe. Thankfully, Powell got the chance to answer the question she called "confusing" a second time on "The Today Show."

Powell was asked the question: "A recent report shows that in 40 percent of American families with children, women are the primary earners, yet they continue to earn less than men. What does this say about society?" Powell's answer, unfortunately, made very little to no sense and also involved awkward pauses when she replied, "I think we can relate this back to education and how we are continuing to try to strive to [long pause] figure out how to create jobs right now," ending her statement with something about the need "to create education better." Powell placed third runner-up, even after that awkward response.

The contestant appeared on "The Today Show" along with the winner of Miss USA 2013, Erin Brady, when host Matt Lauer read the same question to Miss Utah. This time, Powell managed to give a meaningful response when she answered, "So, this is not okay. It needs to be equal pay for equal work and it's hard enough already to earn a living, and it shouldn't be harder just because you're a woman." 

During the 2009 Miss USA pageant, Carrie Prejean of California was asked about the legalization of same-sex marriage, which was outlawed in several states at the time. It wasn't until 2015 that the U.S. Supreme Court legalized it in all 50 states. According to the BBC, Prejean shocked openly gay judge Perez Hilton, who read Prejean her question before she stated, "I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman." While it stunned many people, Prejean defended her answer, but she would eventually lose her Miss California crown for other reasons. 

Prejean stated that her answer "cost me my crown," telling Billy Bush on his radio show (via FOX News), "I wouldn't have had it any other way. I stated an opinion that was true to myself, and that's all I can do." Despite the controversy, Prejean was first runner-up in the competition.

According to Reuters, former owner of the Miss USA pageant Donald Trump stood by Prejean for her shocking Q&A response. However, he didn't stand by her when she was not fulfilling her duties as Miss California. He stated, "I told Carrie she needed to get back to work and honor her contract with the Miss California USA organization and I gave her the opportunity to do so." The pageant's executive director Keith Lewis stated, "This was a decision based solely on contract violations including Ms. Prejean's unwillingness to make appearances on behalf of the Miss California USA organization." Prejean told Sean Hannity (via ABC News) that she believed she was "being dethroned because of" "[her] answer on stage that night."

Strict rules go along with pageants, and if they aren't followed, these contestants can be stripped of their coveted crowns. That's what happened to Miss USA 2017 contestant Genesis Davila of Florida, who was dethroned for using professional hair and makeup stylists when that was prohibited. 

Contestants must do their own hair and makeup for competitions. The pageant's executive director Grant Gravitt stated to Local 10 News, "Unfortunately, our title holder sought an unfair competitive advantage, and that's just not acceptable in our system." TMZ obtained the incriminating photo of Davila getting her makeup done by a glam team, but Davila insisted that it was an old photo. She was told to give up her crown a mere six days into being Miss Florida, but instead of just walking away, she took action and sued the pageant. 

According to CNN, Davila hired a lawyer and filed a $15 million lawsuit against pageant owners, seeking damages for defamation. Davila spoke out about losing her crown, sharing (via Local 10 News), "All of these false allegations have taken me completely by surprise. I have faced many challenges in my life, but nothing like this." However, Gravitt shared that it was Davila's social media accounts that gave her up. Despite being dethroned, she would become Miss Florida again the very next year.